Forensic Science Movie Reviews

It really was great value. Universal seemed to put out these two-packs of movies they hinted at doing 'Ultimate Editions' for. Do Universal even do 'Ultimate Editions' anymore? I don't recall any recent ones. It's a real shame because it would be great to have a UE of Twelve Monkeys. This CE is cool enough tho and both of these Bruce Willis movies have great extras on them.

Michael Caton Jones comes from my hometown don't ya know. It's unusual for me to hear a local accent on a commentary.

I would buy it for Jackal but because i am not that psycho kind of guy and didn't like 12 monkeys so much i can't really say which one is better! 12 Monkeys is a psychological film that needs some thinking in order to enjoy it and the jackal is an excellent action film that doesn't need further comments. I would like to add that both Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis cooperate really well in the film and that the jackal gets sick sometimes in the film because of too much blood. Despite that i think they are both films worth watching them and nice to spend your time with!

I like the above viewer bought this to get twelvemonkeys which I have wanted for over a year since I got a dvd player, This is one the best movie's ever made and well whorth the money. You get the jackal as bonus and it not that bad of movie either, It just does not stand up the brilliant twelve monkeys, Plus the documentry is as good as the movie on twelve monkey's. Buy this set today

Evolver is a movie about a kid who wins a video game contest set out by a large company. The robot that he wins is was a trashed government project, and the robot starts killing people. This movie was ok, but there were no big names, or great special effects. The story line was OK, so it gets about three stars.

For a low budget Sci-Fi, This is a very well written Movie. Fans of Star Trek will like this movie because "Q" (John De Lancie) plays a very different character in this movie. Overall, Good Action, OK Graphics, Great Storyline.

When I first watched this with my dad, I fell asleep cause it was on at like 2:30 in the morning, then, it was on the next day, so I watched it and I loved it ever since. Not oscar worthy or anything, it's just is a good movie that I recommend seeing at least once in your life.

This movie makes the point that everyone's experience of "reality" is based upon the functioning of the brain. Mess with the brain, and reality changes. Perception of reality can easily be altered through brain injury, electric stimulation, drugs, etc.

For the length of the movie, we experience life through the eyes of a scientist played by Bill Pullman, who may be the victim of insanity, a brain injury, the manipulations of a supernatural figure or an evil corporation, etc. (you cannot be sure which until the end of the movie), and who may or may not have killed his family. Reality is constantly changing for him and no matter how real things may appear to be, it may all turn out to be an illusion at any second. Despite how disorienting this may be, the plot is very coherent and has a sense of continuity to it, and you feel as if the characters are moving towards a goal or some sort of resolution, unlike with many surreal films.

Written by Charles Beaumont, one of the most frequent scripters for the Twilight Zone, this movie is like an extended episode of the show (which often dealt with characters suddenly finding themselves fallen out of normal life and into a disorienting situation). Unfortunately, as interesting as the ride is, the ending (which is merely o.k.) left me feeling cheated. If it were a half-hour show, this would be more bearable, but you expect more after sitting through a feature-length movie.

It is a well-made, well-acted film worth watching at least once, maybe twice, but knowing the ending spoils it.

Charles Beaumont wrote for the original "The Twilight Zone" TV series, and this is more than worthy for people with similar expectations. Starring Bill Pullman as scientist Rex Martin. Martin studies brains for a living, but soon finds himself in a bizarre and twisted excursion in his own brain. Is he working for the Eunice Corporation, or is the Eunice corporation working on him? The story is hard to explain, and the twists are non-stop. I had an e-mail conversation with the director, Adam Simon, who reported that Roger Corman called this film his 'art film'. Similar to the ideas of 'Vanilla Sky', a 'Clockwork Orange', 'Lost Highway' and 'Brazil', this film will not disappoint those looking for a wild ride through the ether of thought.

I have watched this movie once, and i will with plesaure se it again! It just tearing me apart in the chear..! Every time...

If this is the first drive-in disc from Elite that you've ever seen, you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment from it.

Unfortunately for me, I had already purchased and watched the first one in the series ("The Giant Leeches" and "The Screaming Skull"). It was fun, but the problem is that virtually all of the extra drive-in stuff was *exactly* the same on the second disc as it was on the first disc! The "Pic" mosquito coils, "Let's All Go to the Lobby" (not really a drive-in short anyway), Chilly Dilly pickles...the list goes on. For the price of these discs (they're up in Criterion territory, pricewise), I expected to at least get all-new material.

The other thing with both of the drive-in discs is that the film transfers are not so hot. That's all I'll say; if you want details about grain, scratches, splices, etc., look up more detailed reviews on, say, Google, and you'll get the scoop. The bottom line is that the source material and transfers are pretty cruddy. Again, if Elite wants to put a price tag on their DVDs that is approximately the same as many Criterion DVDs, they need to pony up with quality and all-new material. I'm going to proceed very carefully before I even consider purchasing a third drive-in disc, as I felt a bit rooked this time around.

I have both discs in this series and they are quite enjoyable.

The Wasp Woman benefits from a strong lead performance by Susan Cabot and The Giant Gila Monsterf benefits from... being unintentionally hilarious.

It's great to see the selection of Drive in clips for advertising and intermision and they are very well transferred (even better than the films).

The "distorto" sound is cute.

Here's where this series needs to improve:

More new (old) drive in clips, some are recycled from the previosu release.

Better transfers of the features. Although "Wasp Woman" shows a nice improvement over the other transfers of "Gila Monster", "Giant Leeches" and "Screaming Skull"

Encode it so it's all one program. When you select The "Night At The Drive In" all the segments are on "seperate tracks". In other words, when one segment ends, the player has to search out the next segment (causing a pause in sound, most noticible when you have the distorto sound on).

Encode it so the DVD player can show the time. At present, there is no time code and that bugs me.

Keep the content same era oriented. In this case, the movies are from 1960, the cartoons seem to be from the 30's or early 40's. Most of the ads seems to be late 50's, early 60's and the intermission film has to be early 70's (it shows pictures of the moon landing, which took place in 69). Make volumes that have 50's films and exclusivly 50's clips, then others that have 60's and 70's films and clips. establish a verisimilitude that will help you believe you are time tripping to a drive in at the time period of the movie.

That also goes for the "distorto sound". Sometimes we hear comments from people inside the "virtual car" we are in. The comments seem too ironic and modern in tone. They don't talk like people from the era the movies are in. It's fun in an MST3K sort of way though.

This is a good series that has the potential to be something great. A really special way to see these B movie charms.

While they are thinking of "concept discs" over at Elite. They might also consider making a TV chiller theater style series. With vintage hosts and ads. This is the way I discovered many of these films in the 70's and it would be cool if someday a DVD presentation could reflect that.

This great release from Elite's Drive-In Discs range couples two of my all-time favorite B-movies together in one irresistable package!

THE WASP WOMAN tells the story of ageing cosmetics empire magnate Janice Starling (Susan Cabot) and her desire to hold onto her fading looks. Enter a kooky scientist who has developed a youth serum from the queen wasps, and who has the power to drag her - and the company - back into youthful vitality. Neeedless to say, poor Janice gets hooked on the stuff and turns into a wasp creature that must kill. Also featuring Barboura Morris and Fred Eisley.

THE GIANT GILA MONSTER is a campy little gem starring teen singing sensation Don Sullivan. When a giant lizard begins wreaking terror over the town's teens (who mainly sit around in hotrods making out), the monster finds a great way to appease its burgeoning appetite. Featuring Lisa Simone as Sullivan's just plain-annoying French girlfriend, the movie is a laughable horror flick with a most irritating song ("Laugh Children Laugh") that was actually penned by Sullivan!

Of course, the highlight is the "Drive-In" feature which couples the two films together along with "Betty Boop" and "Popeye" cartoons as well as concesssion stand ads, trailers and intermission announcements. Featuring Elite's famous DISTORTO sound system!

Fantastic and well worth a look.

It's really interesting that X-Men and X2 have sort of become two very different movies. How Bryan Singer directed them. How the screenplays were written. How the cast approached each film differently. It makes for very different viewing experiences. X-Men was very much set in the Marvel Universe. It had a very comic book feel to it. And it worked quite well. But X2, they kind of did a make over where the comic book feel was replaced with a more "real world" feel to it. Nightcrawler's attack on the White House, how the Xavier school was stormed by special forces units. Everything was maybe a little too close to the everyday world for my own cinema tastes. With X-Men 3 now being on the drawing boards, I hope they go back to a more comic book/Marvel Universe feel to it, just like Spider-Man and the Hulk were done.

Okay first things first! This DVD box set is great for the fans of the X-Men movie franchise. You get tons of extras, in addition to the two hit movies! You find over ten hours of behind-the-scenes and trailers to keep you busy!

However if you truly want the complete package, then be wary, as while it's great, you may also want to pick up the first DVD prior to 'X-Men 1.5', as that DVD contains a hidden gag reel, preliminary designs for Beast and the Blob, in addition to the Fox special that was aired for the movie. This is if you need everything from the first movie!

Also however for all buyers, be wary as there is still another movie in the works, with a possibility of an additional three after 'X3', so there will be more DVDs in the future, including possible re-issues of the movies with even more features, so buyer beware.

Lately there have been a great many comic book based films coming out, and reportedly there are many more to come. Unfortunately most of these films are sloppy, rushed, and seem to care more about having flashy special effects than actually putting together a good plot, and a smart directing style. The first X-Men film set the stage for the seriousness that should be taken with a comic based film, X2 is the film that really deliver's on the promise of the first, and stands out as one of the best comic book adaptions (ranking with Tim Burton's Batman, and the Superman films). The inticate plot and multiple story derivations and side stories make it nearly impossible to look away from the screen. The action is upped in this second installment, and a feeling of urgency leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. To add even further to the intensity of the film, several actors make breakout performances (Hugh Jackman), and some legends of film nail their roles with pin-point accuracy (Ian McKellen). In conclusion, this film has enough plot driven action to please the general movie goer, acting performances that will please us critics out their, and more than ample comic references to keep any X-Men fanatic bouncing for months. The bottom line, If you didn't get a chance to see this in theatre's, dont hesitate to pick it up on DVD. 1.5 makes for a perfect complement to the excellent X2....

It's really interesting that X-Men and X2 have sort of become two very different movies. How Bryan Singer directed them. How the screenplays were written. How the cast approached each film differently. It makes for very different viewing experiences. X-Men was very much set in the Marvel Universe. It had a very comic book feel to it. And it worked quite well. But X2, they kind of did a make over where the comic book feel was replaced with a more "real world" feel to it. Nightcrawler's attack on the White House, how the Xavier school was stormed by special forces units. Everything was maybe a little too close to the everyday world for my own cinema tastes. With X-Men 3 now being on the drawing boards, I hope they go back to a more comic book/Marvel Universe feel to it, just like Spider-Man and the Hulk were done.

Okay first things first! This DVD box set is great for the fans of the X-Men movie franchise. You get tons of extras, in addition to the two hit movies! You find over ten hours of behind-the-scenes and trailers to keep you busy!

However if you truly want the complete package, then be wary, as while it's great, you may also want to pick up the first DVD prior to 'X-Men 1.5', as that DVD contains a hidden gag reel, preliminary designs for Beast and the Blob, in addition to the Fox special that was aired for the movie. This is if you need everything from the first movie!

Also however for all buyers, be wary as there is still another movie in the works, with a possibility of an additional three after 'X3', so there will be more DVDs in the future, including possible re-issues of the movies with even more features, so buyer beware.

Lately there have been a great many comic book based films coming out, and reportedly there are many more to come. Unfortunately most of these films are sloppy, rushed, and seem to care more about having flashy special effects than actually putting together a good plot, and a smart directing style. The first X-Men film set the stage for the seriousness that should be taken with a comic based film, X2 is the film that really deliver's on the promise of the first, and stands out as one of the best comic book adaptions (ranking with Tim Burton's Batman, and the Superman films). The inticate plot and multiple story derivations and side stories make it nearly impossible to look away from the screen. The action is upped in this second installment, and a feeling of urgency leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat. To add even further to the intensity of the film, several actors make breakout performances (Hugh Jackman), and some legends of film nail their roles with pin-point accuracy (Ian McKellen). In conclusion, this film has enough plot driven action to please the general movie goer, acting performances that will please us critics out their, and more than ample comic references to keep any X-Men fanatic bouncing for months. The bottom line, If you didn't get a chance to see this in theatre's, dont hesitate to pick it up on DVD. 1.5 makes for a perfect complement to the excellent X2....

Considering the high pitched voice of Kathy Ireland and a B-class plot line, this movie ranks amoung the top in my cheesey B-class movie collection. In another time, another place this was a great movie.

If you like B-Movies, like Kathy Ireland or both then you will like this movie. Except for Wanda's (Kathy Ireland) high pitched voice, I thought it was kind of cute. It is a funny, science fiction adventure with a little romance thrown in.

I really like Alien From L.A. Maybe It's because I like Kathy Ireland's sweet little voice? They used to show this often on HBO/Cinemax & Showtime in the early 1990's. It was a fun way to waste 90 minutes on a summer afternoon.

Sure, Alien From L.A. is a complete fantasy and way over the top but it has a certain charm to it that I really love. It often has that Roger Corman B-Movie "cult atmosphere" going for it. Personally I wouldn't change a thing about this movie. It is so much better than similar types of films released in the last few years.

Most people probably don't like this film because it seems so unrealistic and cheesy. I think that it was really meant to be satirical comedy, and only a limited percentage of viewers will actually "get" it. You don't have to really believe the things happening in the story could really happen...after all, it is only a fantasy movie!

As for the new DVD from MGM...They've done yet another admirable job on this release. It is in full-screen format, but that may possibly be it's original format. This is actually the way many movies are shot, some are later "matted" for theaters. The Picture quality and Dolby 2.0 Surround track are just about as good as could be hoped for on the DVD format. It is vastly superior to the old VHS video I used to have of Alien From L.A. THANK YOU MGM!!!!!!

It's obvious that the producers had good intentions for STRANGE INVADERS. Unfortunately I found the result tired, forced and lazy; despite the presence of cult faves Kenneth Tobey (THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS), June Lockhart (TV's LOST IN SPACE) and Fiona Lewis (DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN, THE FURY). The acting is ham-fisted and this "spoof" of 50s alien invasion movies is almost a complete wash out.

Both an entertaining sci-fi spoof and a satisfying example of the genre in and of itself. Searching for his missing ex-wife, hero Paul LeMat travels to her hometown of Centerville (aka "Anytown, USA"), where everyone seems a bit odd, and nothing seems to have changed much since 1958. Could the town have been taken over ... by aliens?! That laser-beaming finger might be a clue! Let the scary but good-natured fun begin. Genre fans will want to watch closely for the many homages to films and TV series from the 1950's through the early 1980's including "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Lost in Space" (June Lockhart and Mark Goddard have small roles), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and dozens more. Other viewers may want to simply concentrate on the fine performances of LeMat, Louise Fletcher, Michael Lerner, Wallace Shawn, and especially leading lady Nancy Allen whose uniquely sassy charm serves the film well. The strangest performance is given by Diana Scarwid, who plays LeMat's ex-wife; she recites her lines in the same flat, sing-song voice that she used to play the adult Christina Crawford in "Mommie Dearest", and while her tone is distractingly obnoxious, she's impossible to dislike.

The widescreen DVD presentation, though not anamorphic, is completely acceptable and beautifully showcases the often gorgeous cinematography. The sound and video tranfers are fine, although the source print does seem a bit grainy near the beginning of the movie. Extras include a director's commentary and the Original Theatrical Trailer. Overall, a very nice edition of a film that deservedly enjoys a small - but loyal - cult following.

I remember seeing this movie back in the early eighties...and it was a really good one, with lots of wierd imagery and unexpected scenes. After a while, they didn't show it any more, and I couldn't ever find it on video until now...which made me buy it as soon as I could...and I loved it all the more! I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a sci-fi movie with unexpected twists.

How could anyone recommend a film that stinks? Easy. Its a funny film! And the best part is - its not supposed to be funny. My favorite scene is when Peter Graves introduces his lab assistant as the man who had the unfortunte accident working with radiation. And hes still there working with the same radio active stuff! I laugh out loud every time I see it. Its really bad. The quality of the DVD is the best I've seen to date. Image did a good job. Watch for the giant grasshoper getting thrown on the blanket of a picnicing couple.

I love this stuff! I love it because I know what the movie is about
and what era it represents. America was bombared with horrors of a
world gone mad in the Atomic age and Hollywood simply met the cause
by putting out b-movies by the truck loads to keep up with not only
teenage drive in crowd but that new invention call the television.
Bert I. Gordon was a special effects man turned producer / Director
tried his hand at the Atomic giant monster genre. We're not exactly
talking "Them" here, but what you having is a well round form of B-
movie quality entertainment. Of course the special effects are off
key and the acting is low brow at best but Bert.I took time to hire Music writer Albert Glasser to conduct the brass march theme
in which he has been crowned famous for in his films. A fun disc
in which Image took the time to find a great master print but I
was disappointed to find no original trailer attached but a nice
cover art kind of makes up it. Oh I almost forgot that while it
was nice to see the film minus most of the army footage, why was
the "grasshopper chasing the army truck" scene sliced out?

There is a level on which you have to admire the sheer audacity, not to mention the budgetary value, of putting grasshoppers on postcards of Chicago landmarks and filming them as images of giant mutant grasshoppers attacking the Windy City. Certainly there is no more enduring image in the cinematic career of Bert I. "B.I.G." Gordon, the shlockmeister who directed "The Amazing Colossal Man," "Food of the Gods," "Empire of the Ants," and even lesser efforts. If you can name another B-movie as noteworthy for superimposed monsters, then you go right ahead and knock yourself out.

The plot is standard B-movie fare. A couple of wacky teenagers are out in the lovers' lane of a small town in central Illinois when the chirping of the insects gets a tad louder and then there is screaming and stuff. The state police discover not only the wrecked and bloody car, but the fact that the nearby town of Ludlow has been completely destroyed and there are no bodies. The next thing we know intrepid girl reporter Audrey Ames (Peggy Castle) is hot on the story about giant mutant grasshoppers courtesy of an Illinois State experimental farm. This is where Dr. Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves) has been experimenting with the use of radiation to grow giant tomatoes the size of basketballs and thereby feeding the world. The good doctor tells the reporter that things have going pretty well except for the fact that his partner Dr. Frank Johnson (Than Wyenn) is now deaf and mute because of accidental exposure to the radiation and that grasshoppers have been eating the tomatoes.

Well, gosh, darn it, Ed feels just terrible about everything when the giant grasshoppers eat his partner and defeat the U.S. army troops sent out to try and keep things under control. Fortunately, General Hanson (Morris Ankrum) lets Ed tag along as his scientific adviser (think of it as the mob of townspeople asking Dr. Frankenstein for advice). When the grasshoppers decide that the agricultural expanses of America's breadbasket are not as appealing as the skyscrapers of Chicago, General Hanson fears the end of the world, or at least the beginning of the end, and orders up an A-bomb to save the day. However, Ed, who knows a little something about the deleterious side effects of exposure to radiation, things nuking Chicago is a bad thing and has to come up with a better plan pretty darn quick.

Ed's solution is too good to give away and despite it being so laughable it is indicative that the group of screenwriters responsible for this film were trying to connect all the dots with something scientific. Once again, the science might be suspect, but you have to admit that the solution is a lot easier and cheaper to film than an exploding atomic bomb. "Beginning of the End" is another example of the fact that size is always important in one of B.I.G.'s movies, as well as extending the giant mutant monster trend from ants ("Them!") to spiders ("Tarantula") to grasshoppers (I know, they are really locust, but grasshoppers sounds funnier). The idea of having a giant swarm of mutant monsters overwhelming a small town, the U.S. army, and whatever is put in their way is compelling. But carrying it off requires the CGE technology that produced "Starship Troopers" and instead we have a movie that Steven Spielberg could have made in 1957 (i.e., when he was only 11 years old and making movies in his backyard with his friends).

Once again, my rating for "Beginning of the End" is based more on the entertainment value of the film rather than its aesthetic quality. How can you not enjoy superimposed grasshoppers or Peter Graves suggesting doubts about the nuclear destruction of a major American city? I would not say this is the best of Gordon's films; indeed, I am loath to actually pick one under those conditions. But I would contend that this is the one of his films that I would give "must see" status to for those who enjoy 1950s black & white science fiction monster movies.

This is a "Cinemax type" of cable-tv-movie (late night on the weekend). The theme is science-fiction/female-nudity. This movie deserves a R rating (not X or NR). It is a softcore skinflick. It could play uncut on Cinemax, but there is a little more female genitalia than usual. Most of the nudity is shot in bright studio lights and with decent closeups. The science fiction premise is just an excuse to start each new scene and get the girls naked, and it does have lots of naked girls throughout the entire movie. Most of the girls are in their early to mid 20's, and several of the girls are quite attractive, sort of the "girl next door" type (natural breasts with bounce, and wholesome-looking, all with good figures). The one girl that did not look so natural was King Louis' wife (silicone enhanced), but the rest of the girls were worth looking at. I rate this movie one star for science fiction content, four stars for the collection of attractive naked girls, and 5 stars for the fact that they were able to cram nude attractive girls into 80% of the movie. But overall, I rate this movie as 3 stars, because if you wait a couple of years, it will probably be on cable tv. Is this movie for you? Do you like late night T&A on cable tv?

Granted, there is some time traveling in this movie, but the science fiction element is really just a means to an end. This fact becomes pretty obvious as it only takes a few seconds for the shedding of clothes to begin. Leon and Daria are apparently serving on some kind of spaceship, one that houses the newly invented "exotic time machine." They quickly decide to mix business with pleasure (more his pleasure than hers, as it turns out), and Daria sort of accidentally sends Leon back in time to mediaeval France, where he pops up sans clothes in the very boudoir of Marie Antoinette. After watching Marie and her serving girl entertain each other, Leon finds his own ticket being served by the lustful queen; when the king shows up unannounced, Leon quickly finds himself shackled to a wall in the Bastille. Back on the ship, Daria's first attempt to find Leon and bring him back fails, as she finds herself hobnobbing with a sultan and his harem girls. Eventually reunited, the time travelers accidentally pay a visit to Al Capone and his lady friend in the hours following the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Arriving back on board ship, they realize that one of them has changed history quite radically, so they have to head back to mediaeval France to resolve the source of the unfortunate temporal dislocations their unapproved time traveling has caused.

The production value is actually quite good for a movie of this type; it even has a little of what I would call an artistic nature to it. The acting, what there is of it, is actually pretty good, the sets acceptably represent the different historical eras fairly well, and Gabriella Hall is exceedingly easy on the eyes. I just wish Daria had gotten as much screen time as Marie Antoinette did. The adult content of the movie, of which there is a somewhat surprising amount, places it somewhere along the border of NC17 material, so don't expect to see this movie turn up on the Sci Fi Network any time soon.

If you are fan of the soft-core genre, this is the movie for you. Even though the acting in these movies is not always Oscar calibre, the actors here seem to know this and have fun with it, the result is often humorous. The women are all very hot and there are some excellent simulated sex the likes of which I have rarely seen. The production is excellent for a b-type movie and you even get some funny out-takes at the end. I rate it 5 stars based on what you look for in a movie of this type which is extremely hot nude women and simulated sex scenes. This movie has PLENTY of both.